Customer Reviews

Doberman Security Briefcase Alarm

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I leave my briefcase, sometimes with a notebook computer in it beside my chair in conference rooms, airport lounges etc. This simple device will sound a LOUD alarm it the case is moved. I am pretty confident that a thief would drop the case and take off.
My only concern is that I get enough time to turn it off before the alarm sounds...it gives you about 3-4 seconds after a warning beep.

If this were not the best thing available on the market, I would have given it zero stars. It's loud, and effective, but it has a few design flaws that prevent you from using it. Firstly, it'll make a loud beep when you arm it. Secondly, it beeps every time you press a button to disarm it. Thirdly, the device drains the batteries even when it's disarmed, so it's very likely it will be dead by the time you need to use it. Fourthly, the batteries require a screwdriver to open the device to change them (wouldn't be a problem if I didn't NEED to replace them EVERY TIME I want to use it!).

This is an extremely annoying device that will cost you friends and business associates VERY fast if you try to use it to protect a briefcase or bag that you're frequently getting into. For example, if I'm doing a presentation, and I'm keeping supplemental material in my bag for people that ask for it, I have to announce to the world that I don't trust them, and irritate everyone around me with loud beeps every time I arm and disarm the device to grab a brochure or info sheet.

Henli Max makes some CR2032 batteries that fit in this device, and they're being sold in very cheap packs of 50. The device takes two of them, so you'll be able to use your alarm roughly 25 times before you need to buy more. Luckily, the batteries are not expensive at under $10 for the huge pack of 50. Just remember to bring a small crosshead phillips jewelers screwdriver with you so you can open the battery door.

For a more discreet solution, I like using the pacsafe products to chain up my bag to something. It's a bit of work to stuff a bag into one of those, and they're heavy, but combining that with this alarm gives me options in how I want to secure my stuff. If I use both of them together, I feel safe walking away from my valuable stuff for extended periods of time, out of sight, and out of earshot. If I use just one, I prefer to be close to my stuff, because neither the alarm, nor the pacsafe can stop someone from getting your stuff for more than a few minutes, if they're dedicated to taking it. For the most part, either one alone is enough to scare off most people who want to steal from you.

This product would be pretty much perfect if it were 100% silent when arming and disarming, and if the batteries only drained when the product was armed. It's small, lightweight, classy-looking, very thin, and works well if the batteries aren't dead.

The company does not respond to emails, and they do not seem to care that their product is nearly perfect, but terribly flawed. Since it is the best on the market, and there's no serious competition, there's no good reason for them to fix the minor flaws that make this gadget a pain to use.

By the way, the alarm is EXTREMELY loud. If you test it in an enclosed space, it's loud enough to damage your hearing, so be careful about that.

The only reason I've bothered to post a review for such a quirky, bad product is because I'm actually considering buying a second one! I definitely have a love-hate relationship with this thing.

UPDATE October 13, 2011:

I've finally had enough time using this device to experience what it's like when someone tampers with your stuff. I was traveling with a friend, and after we reached our destination, I placed the Doberman alarm on my things and stowed it in the truck of the car. Our event was within earshot of the car, so I was confident that if anyone got into the trunk, the alarm would sound if they touched my stuff.

When it was time to leave, my friend was rearranging things in the trunk, I saw my bag on the ground next to the car. I did not tell my friend about the alarm, and it did not go off when he took it out of the trunk! That surprised me, I thought for sure it would sound the alert if anyone even touched it, but it did nothing, even when my things were taken out of the trunk. They were not carried anywhere, and I think the alarm would have gone off if he tried to walk around with it, but I'm still worried. If he were a thief, he could easily have opened up my bags and taken things out without setting off the alarm. No need to even move my bag.

I decided that I need to use the alarm in a way that makes a person need to touch it before they're able to get access to my things. The Doberman has a bracket on it that I used to "tie" my stuff to a chair, a pipe, or whatever, so the thief would have to jiggle the alarm a lot more before they can get access to it. The bracket was inconvenient to use.

So, I tried the Reliance Controls THP216 Door Knob and Cable Personal Security Alarm. It is just as insensitive as the Doberman, but it has a cable on it, so it was much easier to secure my things to something. The thief will have to mess with it to get into my bag or to walk away with it, so it's more likely to sound the alarm.

It is uglier, less discreet, and just as irritating with all the unnecessary button beeping, but it has a cable on it that makes it easier to secure my things to something. Also, the battery on it lasts, and does not drain when the device is off. It's more versatile too, so I can buy more of them and hang them on doors, windows, etc. Overall, the THP216 is a better product than this Doberman, but it is more complicated, not as loud, and a harder to use. I could not bring myself to buy more of these Dobermans, but I might consider buying more of the THP216's.

Next, I will probably try yet another brand to see if there's one out there that's as easy to use as the Doberman, but does not beep when arming and disarming.

The key problem with all of these kinds of devices is that they beep when you arm and disarm them. That tells everyone in the room that you've got an alarm on your stuff. If any of those people are thieves, and they are familiar with these devices, they will know that they can pick up your stuff and walk away with it as long as they're careful not to bump the alarm, so it will stay silent.

If the arming and disarming were discreet, then potential thieves would not know you're using an alarm, and they won't be careful enough to defeat the alarm. As it is, I'm confident I could walk off with your stuff without triggering the alarm from any of these devices, as long as they aren't tied to anything. If your alarm is tying your stuff to something, I would have to get the batteries out of the alarm (which would be hard but doable!), or I would have to cut open your bag to get your stuff without touching the alarm.

None of these alarms by themselves will stop a smart thief that knows how to beat them. But, they're cheap and useful if you can't keep your hands on your stuff at all times, and you know what their weaknesses are.